Reciprocating wire cutting wherein blade is grooved to slidably engage work support



July 4, 1961 J. I. CARLSON 2,990,743

RECIPROCATING WIRE CUTTING WHEREIN BLADE IS GROOVED TO SLIDABLY ENGAGE WORK SUPPORT Original Filed Nov. 50, 1950 E Q INVENTOR.

, LEhTZ/ICZZT'ZSOW United States Patent Ofiice 2,990,743 Patented July 4, 1961 2,990,743 RECIPRO'CATING WIRE CUTTING WHEREIN BLADE IS GROOVED T SLID'ABLY EN- GAGE WORK SUPPORT John I. Carlson, Geneva, Ill., assignor to Carlson Tool & Machine 'Co., an Illinois corporation. Original application Nov. 30, 1950, Ser. No. 198,299. Divided and this application Apr. 16, 1956, Ser. No.

4 Claims. (Cl. 83-580) This invention relates generally to cutting devices and more particularly to a wire cutting device employable for the most part in brush making machines where short lengths of wire serve to retain tufts of bristles in brush I backs.

While the wire could be precut into the desired lengths and the precut lengths of wire then stored in a hopper in the brush making machine to be withdrawn from the hopper as required, that practice has many shortcomings and it has been found far more desirable to cut the lengths of wire as an incident to each turfting operation. The length of each individual piece or slug or wire naturally varies with the type of brush being manufactured and can become quite short. In the case of tooth brushes, for example, each slug measures only As" or less in length. As a consequence the cutting of such short lengths of wire and, above all, the handling of the indi vidual slugs after being out presents a problem.

In the past the cutting means have all been of such size and character that they have been incapable of severing a slug of the desired small length while at the same time permitting this small slug to be grasped and held by the fingers of a mechanism provided to convey the slug to the tufting device. As a consequence the designers of brush making machines have been forced to effect severance of the slug as an incident to the tufting operation. This is most unsatisfactory for the tufting operation is already complicated and requires the greatest of precision in the construction and operation of the mechanism in order that the proper number of bristles are incorporated in a tuft, the slug or wire properly shaped and properly placed with relation to the tuft or bristles, and the tuft of bristles and the slug of wire then securely inserted in a hole in the 'brush'back. To add some means to the anvil or to the carrier of the wire, or to the tuft inserting and staple driving means to cut off a short length of wire just has not proved practical.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a wire cutting device of such character and designed as to make possible use thereof in brush making machines employing the shortest slugs and, above all, a device that is separate and independent from the anvil, the tuft picking mechanism, and the. tuft inserting and slug driving mechanism.

Another object is to provide a wire cutting device for employment in a brush making machine which overlaps the slug being cut to such a minor degree that even in connection with the shortest of slugs there remains exposed such a length as to enable the grasping of the slug substantially in the middle thereof by the fingers of a slug-carrying mechanism.

In its most specific embodiment, it is an object of the invention to provide a wire cutting device wherein the cutter blade can be made extremely thin because it is reinforced at its edges to have a generally U-shaped and cooperating with a solid complementary block functioning as a guideway on which the U-shaped blade slides.

Other and further features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the cutting device i the right in FIG. 1.

While the Wire cutting device of this application could be employed in a variety of ways, it is, as already stated above, particularly adaptable for use in brush making machines, particularly a brush making machine of the type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 198,299, filed November 30, 1950, now US. Patent No. 2,776,004, of which this application is a division. To that end, the wire cutting device is in the drawings shown in the environment of such a brush making machine and of certain of the other apparatus found in such a brush making machine and cooperating in the operation of the wire cutting device.

Shown at 61 in each of the figures is a frame member on which the wire cutting means, herein generally designated 104, is mounted. Also mounted on this frame member is a device for feeding to the cutting means wire to be cut thereby, and apparatus for driving the wire feeding and wire cutting means in properly timed relationship with one another and with other mechanism of the brush making machine as a whole.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, wire 70 is fed from a source (not shown) to the nip between two feed rolls 71 and 72. The upper roll 71 is provided with a circumferential groove 73 adapted to receive the wire and to orient it into a straight delivery movement toward the cutting means. The lower roll 72 has no such groove and thus the wire is frictionally engaged between the two rolls. To assure good frictional engagement, the upper roll 71 is resiliently urged against the bottom roll and to that end is mounted on the end of one arm of a rightangle crank 78 the other arm of the crank being secured to a spring 79 which in turn is secured to the frame. The crank 78 is pivoted to the frame at the juncture of the two arms, as shown.

Associated with the rolls to rotate therewith are gears 74 and 75, respectively, in order that the rolls may be positively driven. Feed of the wire must of course be intermittent and hence drive of the rolls is intermittent. Such drive is herein effected by means of pawl and ratchet mechanism, generally designated 120, and this in turn is actuated by suitable linkage from a shaft 12 and an eccentric '80 mounted on the shaft. More particularly, eccentric -80 rotatably carries a bearing member 81 provided with two arms 82 and 83 extending therefrom substantially at right angles to each other. To the lowermost of the arms, namely, the arm 82, there is secured a collar 84 which is secured to a rod 85 secured to a sleeve member 86 rotatably mounted on a shaft 87 which carries the lower roll 72. Secured at the sleeve 86 is an upstanding arm 88 which pivotally carries at its upper end a pawl member 89 adapted to engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel 90. The ratchet 90 is integral with a spacing member 91 which in turn is integral with the gear 75.

Wire emerging from the nip between the rolls 71 and 72 is fed into a passage 76 extending longitudinally through a guide block 77 bolted to the frame member 61. Each operation of the wire feeding means advances the wire 70 a suflicient distance so that the wire cutting means will sever a slug of the desired length. To that end, the wire is fed into and through the passage 76 and into abutment with a stop in the form of a rod mounted in a stationary part 114 of the frame base 26 of the machine. Inasmuch as engagement of the wire by the rolls 71 and 72 is a frictional engagement, the mechanism is adjusted so that the wire always abuts stop 115 while the rolls are still rotating slightly and thus slugs of uniform length are assured.

Secured to the frame member 61 is a block 106 provided with an opening extending vertically;therethrgugh to receive a drive rod 107. g This block isn ountedimrnediately above block 77 which has at its exit or righttional shape shown in FIG. 2. As is apparent from FIG. 2, there remains a very narrow section 112 directly opposite the guide portion 110 which serves as the actual wire severing blade. Thiscan be made with such mini- I mum thickness because it is reinforced by the lobe-like portions 113 on either side.

Preferably, as best seen in FIG. 3, the lower or cutting edge of the rod 107 is at an inclination to the horizontal so as to facilitate the cutting action.

The upper end of rod 107 has pivotally connected thereto a bolt 108 to which is secured a sleeve 109. Pivotally connected to the sleeve 109 is one end of one arm 103 of a crank 100 pivotally mounted at 101 on the frame member '61. The other arm 102 of the crank 100 is pivotally connected to the arm '83. In this manner reciprocation of the rod 107 is timed with the feed-in of the wire 70 and with the action of the other parts of the brush making machine such as the means for carrying the several lengths of wire from the wire cutting means to the staple driving means. In FIG. 1 there is shown a part 16 of such carrying means guidingly received in a channel 23 formed between a pair of angle irons 24 and 25 secured to the base 26.

I claim:

1. Means for cutting very short lengths of wire, comprising: means defining a wire guide passage having an end from which one end of the wire may project; and a movable cutter including a self-supporting substantially solid shank, a cutting portion on said shank and projecting axially therebeyond, said cutting portion being of a length substantially sufficient to overlie said end and having a substantially flat surface on one side, said surface being arranged substantially centrally to said shank, and a groove in the other side of said cutting portion extending axially from said shank and also substantially centrally located with respect thereto and being adapted to have a sliding fit with said end whereby the end will be slidable in said groove, the portionof said cutting portion lying between the bottom of said groove and said substantially flat surface defining an extremely thin blade requiring reinforcing, and the sides of the groove slidingly engaging said means to support and reinforce said blade.

2. Means for cutting very short lengths of wire comprising: means internally defining a passage adapted to receive a wire and externally defining a transverse end surface in which said passage outwardly terminates and guide surfaces extending back from said end surface to be disposed laterally of the passage; and a movable cutter including a self-supporting substantially solid shank, a cutting portionon said shank and projecting axially therebeyond, said cutting portion being of a length substantially sufficient to overlie said end surfaceand having a substantially fiat surface on one side, said surface being arranged substantially centrally to said shank, and a groove in the other side of said cutting portion extending axially from said shank and also substantially centrally located with respect thereto and being adapted to have a sliding fit with said end surface whereby the end surface will be slidable in said groove, the portion of said cutting portion lying between the bottom of said groove and said substantially flat surface defining an ext-remely thin blade requiring reinforcing, and the sides of the groove slidingly engaging said guide surfaces to support and reinforce said blade.

3. The means for cutting of claim 2 wherein the passage defining means externally defines a pair of opposed parallel guide surfaces and the sides of said groove will slidingly engage said pair of surfaces.

4. Means for cutting very short lengths of wire, comprising: a block having an outer end; a Wire receiving passage through the block opening through said outer end; and a cutter including a self-supporting substantially solidshank, a cutting portion on said shank and projecting axially therebeyond, said cutting portion being of a length substantially suflicient to overlie said outer end and having a substantially flat surface on one side, said surface being arranged substantially centrally to said shank, and a groove in the other side of said cutting portion extending axially from said shank and also substantially centrally located with respect thereto and being adapted to have a sliding fit with said outer end whereby the end surface will be slidable in said groove, the portion of said cutting portion lying between the bottom of said groove and said substantially flat surface defining an extremely thin blade requiring reinforcing, and the sides of the groove slidingly engaging said block to support and reinforce said blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 999,372 Kempster Aug. 1, 1911 2,243,495 Baumgertner May 27, 1941 2,275,131 Conlin Mar. 3, 1942 2,712,835 Sampatacos July 12, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 183,392 Great Britain July 27, 1922 

